


You Shine Like A Glowstick To Me

by Closeted_Calliope



Category: Trolls World Tour (2020), Trollstopia (2020)
Genre: CPR is used as a plot point by someone who by all accounts shouldn't know CPR, Drowning, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Lots of Water, M/M, Minor Angst, Near Death Experiences, but also lets be real you didn't come here for accurate water physics, innacurate water physics and phenomena because it makes the story more interesting, near-drowning exeperience, rated t for somewhat dark themes and my language in the authors notes, resolved romatic tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27720863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Closeted_Calliope/pseuds/Closeted_Calliope
Summary: Branch was looking forward to spending some alone time with his friend (and big fat crush) Synth when he asked for his assistance finding a creature that had been spooking Techno Lagoon. He unfortunately wasn't counting on the currents being so strong, and Pop trolls aren't exactly known for their swimming skills...
Relationships: Branch/Synth (Trollstopia)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	You Shine Like A Glowstick To Me

**Author's Note:**

> Ok I know this is my third Brynth fic in a row and I have two finals that I need to work on writing papers for and I still haven't added any updates to Cell Mates but goddammit if I don't get this idea into written form this instant I am going to lose it like this might be my favorite Brynth fic I've written so far. So y'all are gonna shut up and you're gonna eat your food and you're gonna like it. Also, special shoutouts to Nick for lowkey peer-pressuring me to write this by giving me a good idea to tack onto my already great idea, Ros for offering a different idea that was different from what I originally planned but more my taste tbh, and also Space for giving an idea that ended up being not used but I still wanted to shoutout anyway.

Branch sighed as he popped on his helmet and rode the elevator down, ignoring the water that rose up from the floor and filled the pod, surrounding him completely.

The most terrifying part about his current mission wasn't the fact that he was going to help the Techno trolls investigate a potential monster in a secluded cave. 

It wasn't that he'd be going to unknowable depths with no guarantee of finding a pocket of air somewhere in the deepest of the depths, although that was incredibly scary.

No, the most anxiety-inducing part of this whole ordeal was that he was going to be spending the trip with Synth.

Alone. 

This wouldn't be an issue if Branch didn't have a great, big, heart-throbbing, soul-crushing, life-consuming crush on him. 

It would probably more manageable if there was someone, *anyone*, else on this trip with them, so he'd have someone else to focus on other than Synth. But nope, Branch was the only troll willing to accompany him, even out of the Techno Trolls. 

The pod reached the lagoon floor and opened up, causing Branch to nearly jump out of his skin. Synth was already waiting for him at the bottom, waving excitedly upon seeing his friend. 

"What's up, Dubstep?"

"Oh, you know," Branch managed to squeak out, hoping he didn't sound too nervous, "just getting ready to help you find this creature. How long did you guys say it's been bothering you again?"

Synth sighed, "About two weeks. We keep finding weird bite marks in some of the sound equipment, trolls that live around the edge of the lagoon keep complaining about hearing loud growling at night, and the other day someone came back here in a frenzy because they swore that something was trying to eat them! And as the delegate for the Techno trolls, I feel like I have to be the one to help fix this mess." 

Branch took a sharp breath through his teeth. "Ooooh, sorry to hear about that, dude. Hopefully we'll be able to get things sorted out."

"I don't think it should be too hard. We managed to track down the cave that troll had visited, so whatever spooked them should still be there. Now, are you sure you wanted to come on this trip with me? It’s supposed to be really dangerous, even for a Techno Troll, and you’re not exactly, uh, accustomed to water.” Synth seemed unusually concerned.

Branch crossed his arms and scoffed, “Pfft. I eat danger for breakfast. I’ve been through my fair share of adventures, with Poppy nonetheless. And I think we can safely say that Poppy isn’t exactly the best at making things safer.”

“Heh, yeah she does seem like that kind of troll.”

“Did you get that map from Laguna?”

“You know it, bro!” Synth exclaimed as he whipped out a rolled up piece of kelp paper. “You ready to get this mission rolling?”

Branch flushed and awkwardly chuckled, “As I’ll ever be.”

“That’s the spirit! Now, c’mon,” Synth grabbed Branch’s hand, failing to notice the look of gay fear that washed over his face, “ we got a lot of ground to cover and I know you’re not as good of a swimmer as me, but if you stay close it shouldn’t be a problem!”

“Ok, yeah, sounds g-good, dude,” Branch managed to stammer as he was involuntarily dragged through the water. He hoped Synth would let go soon and give his pounding heart a break.

————————————————————————————————————-———————————————

It had been about fifteen minutes, and yet Synth still hadn’t let go of his hand.

Thankfully, Branch had slowly but steadily grown used to the foreign presence in his personal space. It wasn’t too hard, considering how warm and fuzzy He was still extremely nervous about messing up somehow and making Synth hate him, but for all the anxiety he also caused, Synth was also a very calming presence.

“Well, here we are!” Synth announced, stopping to gesture downward. “The Caves of Poseidon!”

 _Already? Was it really not that far away? Or have I just been zoning this whole time? How long was I zoned out?!?!_ Branch wondered as he gaped at the rock formations beneath them .

There were many, many openings in the rocky ground, each one covered in coral and anemones to the point where it was difficult to see what they were sitting on. Each opening had a variety of different fish and other creatures swimming in and out, their bright contrasting colors making it hard to focus on just one. 

"Wow," Branch breathed, "They're absolutely stunning....."

"Yeah, they really are," Synth agreed, looking at Branch.

"But... how do we know which one to go through?"

"I guess," Synth drew out, his hand on his chin, eyes squinted in concentration, "we, uh, don't!"

"Wha-"

Synth was already grabbing his hand again, saying, "C'mon, bro, let's just pick one and go in!"

"B-but what if we get lost?!"

"I'm sure it will be fine!" Synth insisted, gently pulling Branch into a random cave.

Branch groaned nervously, but didn't protest. Getting lost in a maze of caves with a cute boy was still spending time with a cute boy, so he really couldn't complain too much.

The cave wasn't uncomfortably small, but it wasn't exactly roomy either. The two trolls just barely had enough room to swim next to each other without touching. And with every forward motion, Branch could swear he felt the edge of Synth's fins brushing up against his feet, though he wasn't sure if that was actually happening or just his imagination getting the better of him. 

"So, how will we know when we find the-"

A loud growl rumbled from deeper into the caves and interrupted Branch.

"Ok, nevermind, I think we found it."

Synth smiled nervously. "Guess we gotta follow that, huh?"

"Heh, guess so."

They continued swimming onwards. 

It wasn't long before the cave opened up into a huge cavern of sorts. There were a few other openings in the sides, presumably leading to different tunneling caves, but for the most part the cavern was filled with various plants. Huge chunks of coral were sprouting off the walls, patches of sea grass covered the parts of the floor untouched by sea sponges and anemones. A few sparse schools of fish swam by, barely casting the trolls a second glance.

Synth frowned. "Hm."

"What's up, Synth?"

"Ok call me crazy, but something about this place feels a little off to me," Synth explained, crossing his arms, eyes darting around the cavern for trouble. He began to swim a bit further inside.

"Really? How so?" Branch asked as he reluctantly followed Synth's lead.

Synth shook his head, "Hmmm, I'm not entirely sure, but the vibes of this place aren't sitting right with me. Something's wrong, I just can't seem to tell what it is, though." 

"Maybe it's like a difference in water quality or something?"

He looked at the sea grass. It seemed to be dancing in the water as though it were blown in the wind. "Yeah, maybe....."

Another loud growl echoed through the walls of the caves, jolting Synth from his train of thought.

"I think it came from that one," Branch said as he pointed towards the biggest of the cave's other exits. "Let's go." He began to make his way towards the opening. 

Synth brought his attention back towards the sea grass. 

Based on the structure of the cave and the amount of other activity in the water from other creatures, the grass shouldn't have been moving like that: like it was blowing in the wind. Not to mention the water around him seemed to be..... pulling on him somehow. It was hard to describe, but it felt weird regardless.

He sighed before turning and heading through the cave Branch entered. He didn't want to risk the two of them getting separated.

Branch was cautiously traveling through the caves, trying to be as quiet as possible. He listened as the growls grew more frequent and louder. He could feel the sweat pooling on his brow. It would be a lie to say he wasn't worried; he was kind of out of his element here. In his haste to meet with Synth he had completely forgotten to bring any sort of makeshift weapon or important supplies, leaving him to his bodily abilities. Not to he mention wasn't super used to moving underwater. There were about a million different things that could go wrong and Branch really didn't want to risk embarrassing himself in front of Synth, or worse yet, doing something that got Synth hurt.

He soon found himself in another cavern, this one much smaller than the previous one. It was also covered in all sorts of strange vines; they went up the walls, into the ceiling, through the ground, they were just everywhere.

The growl came again, seeming to shake the whole room. 

Branch looked around frantically, trying to find its source. The cavern, other than the vines, seemed to see completely void of life.

The unseen monster then proceeded to grunt in what sounded like.....pain? 

Branch's curiosity got the better of him. He carefully began maneuvering around the vines, unsure of they were sentient or poisonous or something worse. 

The growls continued, and as Branch made his way through the jungle of vines, he found himself face to face with something he wasn't expecting.

It was a frog-like creature, no bigger than a snug-a-lug. Its had sharp teeth, a pair of pointy horns, and big orange eyes, but they weren't filled with any malice. In fact, they looked pretty scared. The poor thing was ensnared in a tangle of vines, struggling desperately to get out. And directly under it was another odd sight; there was a large hole in the ground. 

It was then Branch noticed himself involuntarily moving forward in the water, towards the hole, causing him to yelp in surprise as he grabbed the closest vine for support. This weird hole seemed to be pulling everything down into it, almost like it was the start of a current.

Branch shook his head at that thought. He was pretty sure that wasn't how currents worked.

Still, it was the best explanation he had.

A stray sea urchin was swept up from the floor and pulled into the current, but not before brushing up against the creature. It growled, irritated from the sensation. The room shook from the disproportionate volume of its voice.

"Guess you're our monster, huh, little guy?"

The creature snapped its teeth angrily in response.

Branch raised his free hand in surrender, explaining, "Woah, ease up there buddy, I'm not here to hurt you."

It stopped. That seemed to at least stop it from actively trying to eat his hand while he helped.

Branch slowly began to pull himself down towards the floor on vines, making sure not to get too close to the hole. As soon as he was close enough, he picked up a baseball-sized rock and began whacking it onto the floor until it shattered, picking up a sharp piece and slipping it into his pocket.

The next obstacle to tackle was getting to the creature without upsetting it or getting dragged into the hole. That was definitely going to be easier said than done.

Branch manuvered his way through the vines as the creature snapped at him again. He managed to sort of monkey-bar his way to a position just above the beast, with a reasonable amount of space between them in case he needed to prevent getting bitten.

"You know, could be a little more grateful dude," Branch said, reaching out to the creature, "I'm trying to help you out here."

"Hey, Dubstep? Where'd you go, dude?" Branch heard Synth call from down the way he came.

Branch yelled back, "I'm down here, and I think I found the monster!" 

The creature growled at Branch's yelling, but Branch responded by gently putting a hand on its head. The creature's eyes widened, before slowly closing and allowing itself to smile.

Branch smirked. No one could resist a good heat pat.

He reached into his pocked and began carefully cutting the vines entangling the creature.

Synth found himself at the second cavern, surprised at the amount of vines everywhere. "You in here, Dubstep?"

"Yeah, I'm here," Branch answered, watching as a vine he finished cutting fell off the creature and quickly got swept up into the hole current. 

Synth cautiously began peeking around the vines, trying not to get tangled up in them. When he spotted Branch, however, his mind completely blanked and was only able to focus on the excitement of finding his friend again.

"Dubstep!!!!" He raced towards him with a grin and outstretched arms.

"Synth, no, watch out for the-!"

A stray vine caught on his wrist. Synth found himself yanked backwards as his momentum continued carrying him forward but the vine tethered him to the spot.

"....vines."

"Oh man," Synth groaned, embarrassed and in a little bit of pain, "I probably should've seen that one coming...."

Branch sliced another vine off the creature. "It's ok, we all have our moments, I'll help you out as soon as I finish freeing this guy up."

Synth eyed the creature curiously, leaning in as much as his situation would allow. He cooed, " Awwww, this is our monster? Are you sure? It's kinda cute-"

The creature instantly began growling at Synth, causing him to stumble backwards. Branch gently pat the creature's head, mumbling, "shhhhhhh," until it calmed down a little bit. 

"Oh yeah, that's definitely our monster," Synth muttered, a little shaken, causing Branch to snicker as he cut some more vines off.

Branch stated, "I don't think this guy is too dangerous, it's definitely more bark than bite. I think it just got stuck and and scared all by itself."

"Well that explains the noises, and now that I think about it, that one troll this guy scared does have a habit of exaggerating their experiences, but what about the bites in the sound equipment?"

'Maybe it was just a bit hungry," Branch suggested with a shrug, cutting the last of the vines around the creature. Excited to be free, the creature swam into a few quick circles before turning back and snuggling into Branch.

It was at this point Synth noticed the hole and its pull on the water around it.

Branch wasn't thinking too much as he smiled and hugged the creature back, and thusly didn't notice the current pulling down a vine that had snared itself around his ankle.

Synth connected the dots as the creature swam out of Branch's grasp. 

"Dupstep, look out!" He reached his free hand out in a futile attempt to grav his friend.

"Wha-"

The vine was swallowed by the current, and Branch hardly had time to think before he was dragged down as well.

The current drew him through a thin tunnel quicker than he was able to collect his bearings, leaving him swirling and hitting him against the walls. It was kind of like a waterslide, but less fun since he was completely surrounded by a substance that he couldn't breathe without a single clue of where he was going.

Branch was thrown at a particularly sharp corner out of nowhere, and to his dismay, his helmet popped right off his head and out of his reach. It took every ounce of willpower he had to not scream in fear and risk losing what little air he still had. 

Fortunately, he didn't have to focus on the lack of air for too much longer, as he soon smacked his head against a piece of rock that stuck out from one side of the tunnel, and everything went black....

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"DUBSTEP!!!!" Synth cried out helplessly as he watched his friend get suctioned into the hole.

He paused only for a moment as his stomach lurched in fear. 

As soon as he dragged himself out of his panic ridden state, he started yanking on the vine around his wrist, looking for a loose spot, a weak point, anything that would let him go after Branch. But it was no use, the vine was too thick and string for him to break with just his bare hand.

The creature watched as he struggled. It seemed to be thinking about what to do.

Synth noticed it looking and an idea popped into his head. He turned to the creature and begged, "I don't know if you can understand me, but can you please help me? I need to go help my friend before he gets hurt!"

The creature did nothing, only continued to watch.

'I'm really sorry I called you cute earlier because I wasn't trying to make you mad but Dubstep can't breathe water! If his helmet breaks or something he's gonna die!!"

Maybe it was the desperation in his voice, or maybe the creature somehow understood his apology. Either way, it zoomed through the water, latched onto the vine, and started chewing on the part near his wrist. 

With the creature's sharp teeth, it didn't take long for the vines fall limply to the ground. Synth managed to give a quick "thanks!" to the creature before shooting into the whole. 

The current drew him through the small tunnel with the same speed and lack of care as it had Branch, but Synth was at least a bit more used to water and thus more grounded, so to speak, even as he was being hurled into walls. Even with all the bumps and other discomforts he faced inside the tunnel, he couldn't help overthinking all the choices he had made that lead up to this moment. 

He should've never invited Branch to come on this journey. Or at least kept a closer eye on him and not let him get so far away. After all, he had originally invited him along because he wanted to hang out. Synth genuinely enjoyed spending time with Branch, even if that meant not telling him about his very much romantic feelings for him and keeping those to himself. But he would've come here alone if it had meant Branch would've been safe. 

_Holy shell, I am such an idio-_

Synth's thoughts were interrupted by him suddenly finding himself in the air before plunging into a different body of water. 

When he resurfaced for a better view, he noticed that the current had led towards a waterfall in a cavern much larger than the other two, but with one major difference: this one was filled with air.

The waterfall poured into the pool he fell in, which lapped gently up against a rocky shore of sorts. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, dripping occasionally onto the stone floor. Bioluminescent mushrooms growing off the floor and the walls have the cavern a full cyan glow to it.

And, to Synth's dismay, Branch's helmet was floating on the pool's surface, with Branch nowhere to be found. 

_It surely can't be that bad, I'm sure Dubstep just stepped out looking for an exit or something. Yeah, that's it!_

Synth didn't believe those thoughts for a second.

He knew what the other option was, as much as he wanted to avoid thinking about it. 

He ducked his head back under the water, and nearly screamed at what he saw.

There was Branch, floating a few feet below the water's surface, completely motionless.

"DUBSTEP!!!!!!!"

Synth shot towards his friend grabbed him by the armpits. He dragged him up so that his head was out of the water before carrying him towards the shore. 

As he dragged his (hopefully) unconscious friend, Synth grunted, "C'mon, Dubstep, please wake up....."

He gently laid his friend down on the ground and pressed his head against his chest.

He wasn't breathing, and if there was a heartbeat, it was too weak to hear.

Synth gently smacked Branch's face a few times.

"Dubstep, I'm really gonna need you to wake up."

Branch remained still.

Synth took hold of Branch's shoulders and shook him. Tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Please, Dubstep, I really need you to wake up for me."

Branch remained still.

In a flurry of panic and worry, Synth banged his fists against the rocky floor and screamed, tears streaming down his face, "PLEASE, BRANCH, YOU CAN'T DIE ON ME, I CAN'T LOSE YOU!!!!!!"

Branch remained still.

Synth choked back a sob and wiped away his tears. He knew if he started crying, he wouldn't be able to stop, and that wouldn't help Branch: it would just make him more likely to die. He forced himself to focus on finding a solution; what would Branch do in this situation?

_Branch would look at all the important variables; what are the variables? Uh, he's a Pop troll, Pop trolls need air, he's not breathing, what do you do when a troll stops breathing, wait I think he mentioned this once, it was called like, CPR, I think? Yeah, CPR. Okay what did you have to do for CPR again? It was ummmmmm pushing on the chest and-_

"Mouth to mouth," he breathed, his face flushing a deep purple.

But now wasn't the time to be focused on his silly little crush, he had to focus on saving his friend's life. He cracked his knuckles, ignoring the glowstick-like glow that emitted from his fingers, and began rhythmically compressing Branch's chest. With each push, he mentally psyched himself up for what he was going to have to do next.

 _It's totally not a kiss, totally not a kiss, you're just lending your homie some oxygen, that's totally not kissing....._

After about 25 or so compressions, Synth took a deep gulp of air, pressed his mouth to Branch's, and forced all the air from inside him to his friend's lungs. 

Even when he repeated this 5 more times, Branch still wasn't moving, so he went back to compressions.

"Branch, please," Synth pleaded, voice cracking, ignoring the way the tears swelled up in his eyes again, "you can't leave me like this, not before I get a chance to tell you how I really feel, not before I-"

He was interrupted by Branch spluttering up water and coughing heavily, surprising him into falling back a little.

Branch slowly sat up, Synth watching him through soggy eyes, as he coughed a bit more, trying to get a good deep breath. 

Once the worst of the coughing had passed, he turned to his friend, who looked like he was going to burst into tears at any moment.

Knowing that nothing he said was going to stop the incoming waterworks, Branch opted to make the first thing he said after his near-death experience, "'Sup?"

Synth immediately threw his arms around Branch's neck and started sobbing uncontrollably. Branch was in such a state of surprise that his muscles just sort of froze. 

"BRANCH I WAS SO WORRIED, I FOLLOWED YOU DOWN THE CURRENT, AND THEN I GOT HERE AND YOU WEREN'T BREATHING AND I WAS SO SCARED YOU WERE GONNA DIE AND I JUST-"

"Woah woah woah, hey, it's ok," Branch said softly, as he remembered how to move again and wrapped his arms around Synth. "I'm not going anywhere."

Synth sighed shakily, balling the back of Branch's vest in his hands and burying his face in his shoulder. "I really though you were gonna die," he whimpered, struggling to keep his voice steady.

Branch laughed humorlessly. "You can't get rid of me that easily, you know."

"I know," he mumbled quietly, "I'm just really, really glad you're ok."

The two of them just sat like that for a while, holding each other in their arms, sitting in silence other than the sound of the waterfall, the occasional drip from the ceiling, and a couple sniffles here and there from Synth.

After a few minutes, Branch reluctantly pulled back. “Are you ok?”

Synth smiled softly as he wiped the remaining tears from his face. “I should be the one asking you that, considering you nearly died, but, uh, yeah, I think I’m ok.”

Branch returned the smile, though when he lowered his gaze, the smile morphed into a concerned frown as he furrowed his brows.

“Oh shoot, what happened to your hands?”

Synth looked down and realized the issue; in his panic-ridden rush to save Branch, he had completely blindsided the blood coming from his own hands. It was a dark blue and streaked out of his knuckles from where they had met the hard rock floor.

“Oh wow, I didn’t notice that. I, uh, had kind of a rough moment earlier when I thought you were dead, but it’s cool, it’s not too severe- bro what are you doing?”

Branch was moving himself to his feet and saying, “Those should really be cleaned and patched up.” He carefully stood up before offering his hand to Synth and adding, ”C’mon.”

Synth really hoped the low glow of the mushrooms would hide his steadily growing blush, stuttering, “Oh, c-c’mon, man, you d-don’t have to do-“

“I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Consider it a thank you, for, uh,” Branch nervously turned his head away and scratched his ear with embarrassment, “for saving me.”

“Oh. Uh, okay.” Synth reluctantly took Branch’s hand, and was surprised with how easy it was for him to pull him up. As Branch gently led him towards the pool, Synth couldn’t help but notice how toned his arms were and struggled to look away, no matter how much his brain told him too. 

Branch sat Synth down by the edge of the pool before sitting down himself, his legs dangling in the water. He took one of Synth’s hands so gently, like he was made of glass, (and failing to notice the flustered look on his face) as he held his hand to the pool and began running the water over it.

As Branch cleaned his wounds, Synth began zoning out. Here he was, in a dimly lit cave, being cared for by the man of his dreams. Synth could only hope that Branch was too focused on his well-being to hear the pounding of his heart. Synth was snapped from his thoughts as he noticed Branch taking off his vest. He stammered, “Wha-what are you doing?!?” “I don’t have any bandages on me, so this will have to do,” Branch explained as he tore a strip of fabric off and gingerly began wrapping it around Synth’s hand. Synth tried and failed to avoid staring at Branch’s now bare chest. _He makes it so hard to not fall in love with him._

Branch took a deep breath. "Synth, there's, uh, something I want to tell you," he said hesitantly, moving his hands to Synth's other one and started cleaning it off as well.

Synth gulped nervously, preparing for the worst, yet still assuring, "You know you can tell me anything, Dubstep!"

Branch sighed, causing Synth's heart to shoot up into his throat. He stumbled, "Oooh how do I say this to you, I, uh, I guess I kind of, um......"

Synth's mind raced with anxiety. _Oh no, he doesn't want to be friends with me anymore because hanging out with me almost got him killed! I mean, I understand, but I just hope he lets me down easy here-_

"I really like you."

_.....what._

"Like, a lot."

**_WHAT._ **

Synth was rendered absolutely speechless.

Branch, however, took this as a negative reaction. His face burned bright blue as he quickly finished bandaging Synth's other hand and started spluttering, "I'm, uh, really sorry, I've been meaning to tell you for a while, but I, um, I was worried it would ruin our friendship, but if you wanted to stop being friends, I'd totally get it man, but, uh......" Hee trailed off, looking away in embarrassment/

"Branch......" Synth's body acted quicker than his mind, and he gently reached out a hand to cup Branch's cheek and turn him to face him once again. Branch's eyes widened as he realized that Synth had used his real name.

Slowly, Synth leaned in, but stopped right before reaching his lips, giving Branch a chance to pull away if he wanted to.

With no such protest, he closed the gap between them.

Branch's lips were warm and soft against his own and tasted like blueberries. Never before in his life had a kiss so completely thrown Synth off his rhythm. He brought his other hand up against Branch's shoulder while Branch's hands slid around Synth's waist, pulling him closer. Synth's mind swam as he allowed all of his pent up emotions to be expressed. Branch sighed, content with the choices that led him to this exact moment.

Eventually, they had to pull apart for air, panting heavily as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"Wow," Branch breathed with a shaky grin.

"You could say that again Dubstep," Synth teased as he rested his forehead against Branch's, closing his eyes with gleeful satisfaction.

Branch smirked. "You know, I think this qualifies as our first date."

Synth's eyes shot open and he sat up to stare at Branch, who looked like he was struggling not to laugh, in disbelief. "What?!?! NO!!! You almost died!!! That sounds like a pretty awful first date to me."

"Oh, does it now?"

"Yes. If this is going to be a thing between us," Synth explained, taking Branch's hand in both of his, pressing a short kiss to his knuckles, "then I want to take you on a real first date. Maybe somewhere nice where there's no chance of near-death experiences."

Branch chuckled, "That sounds really nice, Synth."

They turned to face the waterfall. It was honestly quite beautiful, the way the bioluminescence bounced off the rushing water. 

"Do you think we should start looking for a way out of here? I mean, we don't even know where we are."

Synth considered this for a moment before responding with a shrug, "We haven't been here long enough to be worrying, so there's really no rush to leave. Besides," he brushed away a stray hair on Branch's face and tucking it behind his ear, "I was enjoying spending time with you. I mean, that's why I asked you to join me in the first place."

"Good, because I that's why agreed to come in the first place. Now, if we're not leaving any time soon...." Branch grinned mischievously, throwing himself into an unexpecting Synth's arms and knocking both of them into the pool. 

As they resurfaced, the two trolls couldn't help but laugh at themselves. And as their laughter died down, Branch floated closer to Synth, grabbed him gently by the chin, and brought their lips together once more, which Synth happily reciprocated, wrapping his arms around Branch.

_Just wait until Laguna hears about this._

**Author's Note:**

> I think i've been looking at this too long bc i cant tell if this is actually bad or if im just sick of looking at it, so either way I think we're done here. I hope you all liked it regardless and I'll see you next time as i have 2 written finals that I desprately need to finish
> 
> -CC


End file.
